Uranus
Uranus
Planet · 19.19 AU from the Sun
Uranus facts
- Type
- Planet
- Distance from the Sun
- 19.19 AU (2.87 × 10⁹ km)
- Orbital period (year)
- 84.1 Earth years
- Diameter
- 50,724 km
- Mass
- 8.68 × 10²⁵ kg
- Moons
- 29
- Rotation period (day)
- 17.2 hours (retrograde)
- Axial tilt
- 97.77°
- Mean temperature
- -195 °C
- Discovered
- 1781, by William Herschel
Orbit
About Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet, an ice giant that rotates on its side, likely knocked over by an ancient collision, so its poles take turns facing the Sun. Methane in its atmosphere gives it a pale blue-green colour, and it was the first planet found with a telescope.
- Named after the Greek god of the sky
- Discovered: 1781, by William Herschel
Major moons of Uranus
Uranus has 29 known moons; its 5 largest are shown below. Press play to start the animation.
Relative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.
Paused
- Titania the largest moon of Uranus, marked by immense canyon systems from ancient tectonic activity
- Oberon the outermost major moon of Uranus, with an old, dark, heavily cratered surface
- Umbriel the darkest of Uranus's major moons, whose one bright feature is a mysterious ring called Wunda
- Ariel the brightest and geologically youngest-looking of Uranus's moons, cut by extensive canyons and flows
- Miranda has some of the most extreme terrain in the Solar System, including Verona Rupes, a cliff up to 20 km high
Uranus: frequently asked questions
- What is Uranus?
- Uranus is a planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun at an average distance of 19.19 AU (2.87 × 10⁹ km). Uranus is the seventh planet, an ice giant that rotates on its side, likely knocked over by an ancient collision, so its poles take turns facing the Sun.
- How far is Uranus from the Sun?
- Uranus orbits the Sun at an average distance of 19.19 AU, about 2.87 × 10⁹ km. One AU is the Earth-Sun distance, so Uranus is roughly 19.2 times Earth's distance from the Sun.
- How long is a year on Uranus?
- Uranus takes 84.1 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun. By Kepler's third law, bodies farther from the Sun take longer to go around.
- How many moons does Uranus have?
- Uranus has 29 known moons; the 5 largest are Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, Miranda.
- How big is Uranus?
- Uranus has a diameter of about 50,724 km and a mass of roughly 8.68 × 10²⁵ kg.
See Uranus in motion
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.